"The law perverted! The Law--and, in its wake, all the collective forces of the nation--the law, I say, not only diverted from its proper direction, but made to pursue one entirely contrary! The law become the tool of every kind of avarice, instead of being its check! The law guilty of that very inequity which it was its mission to punish! Truly this is a serious fact, if it exists, and one to which I feel bound to call the attention of my fellow citizens....
Thus, as the force of an individual cannot lawfully touch the person, the liberty, or the property of another individual--for the same reason, the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes.
For this perversion of force would be, in one case as in the other, in contradiction to our premises. For who will dare to say that force has been given to us, not to defend our rights, but to annihilate the equal rights of our brethren?"
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, 1850.
(all punctuation his)
As I was thinking about writing this post I remembered an entry from earlier this year, right after New Years and way before COVID. In that post I expressed concern about the mental health of the planet. Without belaboring the obvious, I had no idea what was yet to come. So I will get that much out of the way right now. Who the hell knows what the rest of this year will look like?
As I write this our country burns and Coronavirus seems like an afterthought. Of course Coronavirus is not an afterthought, but just the same our country burns with good reason. On all levels, city, county, state, and federal government has had ample opportunity to address the systemic racism and double standard of our law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, considering who has been at the helm for the past 3+ years it's all quite understandable. One can't be expected to lead others if one has his own head stuck too far up the wrong end. Saying we have a leadership void in this country is not only an understatement, it is a 911 call.
I don't want protesters to vandalize and I certainly don't want anyone else to get hurt. But we have to see that protesters are not bad people looking for an opportunity to act out. They are the result of neglect, mismanagement, and tyranny. It is foolish to expect people to continue to go along with this situation. Enough is enough. One obvious solution is to ensure government employees are not immune to the law, even and especially those tasked with enforcing our laws.
In the meantime, COVID-19 is still on the prowl. We are reopening our economies, as we should, but with varying degrees of caution and restraint. Of course those protesting have thrown social distancing to the wind. That along with so many others disregarding medical concern and advice increases the risk of a resurgence. But what to do? It is extremely unlikely we will have lockdowns again, and cures and vaccines are still far on the horizon. We are going to have to live, and possibly die, with COVID-19. That is a fact of life till this changes.
So, typically, I don't know what to do other than what I always do. I will end this with a quote from that naive post I wrote in January: "In the meantime, I believe we can empower ourselves and be conduits of change by example. We can live in alternative community, right here among the insanity. Not brick and mortar communities of separation, but communities of ideas, ideals, and living examples of peace and harmony even if said community only exists in the recesses of our minds, exemplified through our actions." Be the peace you want to see, but never stop demanding justice for all.
Thus, as the force of an individual cannot lawfully touch the person, the liberty, or the property of another individual--for the same reason, the common force cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, the liberty, or the property of individuals or of classes.
For this perversion of force would be, in one case as in the other, in contradiction to our premises. For who will dare to say that force has been given to us, not to defend our rights, but to annihilate the equal rights of our brethren?"
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat, 1850.
(all punctuation his)
As I was thinking about writing this post I remembered an entry from earlier this year, right after New Years and way before COVID. In that post I expressed concern about the mental health of the planet. Without belaboring the obvious, I had no idea what was yet to come. So I will get that much out of the way right now. Who the hell knows what the rest of this year will look like?
As I write this our country burns and Coronavirus seems like an afterthought. Of course Coronavirus is not an afterthought, but just the same our country burns with good reason. On all levels, city, county, state, and federal government has had ample opportunity to address the systemic racism and double standard of our law enforcement agencies. On the other hand, considering who has been at the helm for the past 3+ years it's all quite understandable. One can't be expected to lead others if one has his own head stuck too far up the wrong end. Saying we have a leadership void in this country is not only an understatement, it is a 911 call.
I don't want protesters to vandalize and I certainly don't want anyone else to get hurt. But we have to see that protesters are not bad people looking for an opportunity to act out. They are the result of neglect, mismanagement, and tyranny. It is foolish to expect people to continue to go along with this situation. Enough is enough. One obvious solution is to ensure government employees are not immune to the law, even and especially those tasked with enforcing our laws.
In the meantime, COVID-19 is still on the prowl. We are reopening our economies, as we should, but with varying degrees of caution and restraint. Of course those protesting have thrown social distancing to the wind. That along with so many others disregarding medical concern and advice increases the risk of a resurgence. But what to do? It is extremely unlikely we will have lockdowns again, and cures and vaccines are still far on the horizon. We are going to have to live, and possibly die, with COVID-19. That is a fact of life till this changes.
So, typically, I don't know what to do other than what I always do. I will end this with a quote from that naive post I wrote in January: "In the meantime, I believe we can empower ourselves and be conduits of change by example. We can live in alternative community, right here among the insanity. Not brick and mortar communities of separation, but communities of ideas, ideals, and living examples of peace and harmony even if said community only exists in the recesses of our minds, exemplified through our actions." Be the peace you want to see, but never stop demanding justice for all.
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